257 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion, 8/19/24”

1. Have fun in Dewey Jim, nice place. Part of the road in between Bethany and Dewey was just flooded yesterday so you’ll have to avoid Bethany until they clean it up.

   The Phils are playing a little better thanks to Turner getting hot again. However, their entire bullpen looks exhausted without a single arm for the manager to trust. Not good.

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2. I agree that the BP is the biggest concern at the moment. I do not see the guy you trust to get those last 3 or 6 outs at the end of a key game. Deadline guys are very similar to what Phillies had before. At least in the games I have seen them. Not sure team can win without that guy but appears they are going to have to try at least for this season.

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   1. Braves coming off a long road trip….won last two series’ vs Giants and Angels….trend is first came home after a long road trip, lean towards a Phillies cover, if not a favorite…or just a flat out win. Fried on Wednesday vs Nola will be a toughie…and looks like the Phillies could miss Sale on Thursday, With Austin Riley out for the bulk of the remaining season with the fractured right hand, they will be hard press to fend off the Mets from over taking them now.

      And it apparently appears the Braves will let Fried test free agency next season so he is pitching for his next contract but has been having issues with his forearm. So Wednesday game vs Phillies will be a critical showing for him.

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      1. It’s going to be an interesting case for Fried. He’s a solid pitcher but he’s going to be 31 next season and he’s starting to get hurt. I doubt he gets Aaron Nola money (let’s face it, the Phillies overpaid for him) . Looks like teams are starting to realize that they don’t want to give big deals to pitchers in their 30s: Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez.

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         1. Yeah, more risk in their 30s. On Nola, the contract was too long, but I think it was pretty close to the market rate. Whether we think that market rate was reasonable is another discussion altogether. DD is always very generous with other people’s money, but John Middleton thinks he walks on water.

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            1. Unlike Jeffrey Lurie, Middleton does not have good instincts on hiring younger front office talent. So he relies on finding an old hand with a solid reputation. It’s not crazy.

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               1. By the way, Aaron Nola is going to end his age 31 season with over 35 WAR – that’s extremely impressive. I get peoples’ frustrations with him, but he’s far better than folks on here allow and if the team wanted to move his entire contract, they could easily do so and get some players in return.

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         2. Does seem like contract offerings for pitchers in their 30s has changed, Still will be interesting to see how Fried makes out come this off-season…..and also how the Phillies will eventually go with Ranger Suarez.

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3. Nola throws lots of innings and hasn’t missed any starts in years. He’s also a good, not great, pitcher. That combination got him paid and it will get anyone paid. Fried is very good but doesn’t put up the innings that Nola does. He won’t get as much as Nola for that reason.

   Btw, Riley’s hand was broken by a local kid from Harriton High School. Thanks Jack!

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4. I can’t believe this is happening, but Seranthony is the new Orioles closer. He has the Orioles last 3 saves if you can believe that. But he came into a tie game tonight and gave up a walkoff HR to Francisco Alvarez.

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   1. I can’t believe he beat out Kimbrel for the closer role …………… well, wait a minute …….. yeah, I can see it more clearly, now! Staff has quite a few ex-Phils, huh?

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      1. If you can throw hard, teams will take a chance on you.

         There’s a new owner in Baltimore right? Not sure why the Orioles were bottom feeding for Kimbrel and then trading for Phillies’ castoffs.

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         1. Well for Kimbrel, the new owner didn’t buy the team until after the season had already started, so Kimbrel had already been signed.

            And Dominguez I totally get. He’s had stretches of tremendous effectiveness. He seemed like a decent change-of-scenery candidate.

            But Soto? DD must have gotten Elias super drunk to convince him that Soto was worth giving up anything for.

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5. Guru. I always felt Seranthony could be that guy for the Phillies. Guess 3 out of 4 for him is pretty good. He just never seemed to pitch with confidence much of the time. He has really good stuff. Let’s hope Phillies and O’s do not meet in WS, and he gets 3 out of 4 saves.

   Romus. So based on your calculation above Phillies and Wheeler should win tonight. Braves just got back from long west coast trip. I am sure you can do this. Besides Marlins last week and Guardians before that how many games have the Phillies lost this season coming off a road trip in game 1? Should the same not be true before the team goes on a long road trip? Maybe why the Phillies lost 3 in a row to the Bombers. It also appears that you are putting much of the team’s success or failure on the family. Wife and kids are happy their guy is back. In some cases, pets are happy their guy is back. No wonder teams lose so often. I am only kidding in all of this, but I am sure it does play a factor in some cases. Plus, one has to pack and unpack. That is a lot of extra work. LOL

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   1. Don…….sorry, cannot answer that question, it is just past trends in the betting world, which incidentally I have not done in ages anymore. Though now it is readily available before and during every sporting event. All those circumstance have been brought up in the past as to reasoning why teams tend to have those outcomes/ results. Who knows!

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   2. The stuff wasn’t the issue with Seranthony. The consistency of his pitches and the mental side were the issues. He could look great for 3 pitches and then serve up a cookie slider that gets taken for a ride. Then after that, he starts nibbling around the plate. Then he starts walking guys…

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      1. The HR he gave up yesterday was a perfect example of what makes him so frustrating as a pitcher.

         It was on a 3-0 pitch down the middle. His problems typically result from him pitching from behind in counts where he would eventually have to serve one up.

         That and his body language is terrible. Reminds me of Brogden who was always moping around the mound after almost every pitch.

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         1. 3up …….. you are right on with the body language …… our guy at 3B is bad at that ……. not hard to read him at all ……… looks like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar!

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6. any thoughts on bringing back Neris?

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   1. I haven’t looked at him in a while, but I’d consider it… since the rosters are supposed to be set. Do you think he is better than the recently called up Lazar? Whose spot is he taking?

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   2. I don’t think he’s an upgrade to any of our current relievers. Dude is walking more than 5 per 9. And he’s not even pairing that with a particularly good strikeout rate.

      I don’t think I could handle ANOTHER reliever coming in just to walk the first batter they see on 4 pitches.

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7. Looking forward to this run…though I think it is going to be more stressful than the previous 2 postseasons.

   Next year, I see Painter and Crawford up with the big club, unless Rojas can start hitting. Is Crawford enough to push out Castellanos? As of now, I’d say Crawford pushes out Rojas… see Walker traded or dumped to make room for Painter. Stubbs is gone… but hopefully he has a ring as a departing gift.

   For the upcoming Braves series… im a little bummed the Phillies won’t see Sale. I’ve mentioned this before, but I think our guys are over exposed to the Braves in a playoff series. They’ve seen our pitchers a lot, sooner or later that doesn’t play well imho. I’d like the Phillies to get a good look at Sale, so they don’t some how go an entire year without seeing him…until a playoff series.

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   1. Not seeing Sale at all in the regular season COULD be an issue. So I vote we make it a non-issue by beating the Braves so bad they miss the postseason.

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      1. Dan…I think the Mets will now catch them for 2nd place…..without Riley, Acuna and Albies in the middle of their lineup makes it a difficult chore for them. And their starters are not going deep into games.

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   2. no shot Crawford is with the big club next year unless it’s a September type thing. He will start the year in AA next year. There is no chance he pushes can’t out next year. He’s a CF only. Way to light hitting for a corner spot, especially next year. Him Rojas & Marsh would provide very little OF power. I’d assume they want him to grow into his grown man body in AAA for most part next year. Walker is not getting traded. No one wants the deal even if you eat half. He will get another year as your 5. Painter haven’t pitched in like 3 years by time next season comes around. He’s never pitched in AAA and but a few innings in AA…hell start next year in Clearwater building up. Best case he joins rotation after allstar break. I agree that Stubbs is gone tho

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      1. I think it’s likely that Justin Crawford starts the year at Lehigh. He’s performing well at AA and he’ll likely end the year playing around 40 games at Reading.

         I do think that the earliest Crawford will get called up is in the summer barring injuries. I doubt he makes the opening day roster. Rojas has been hitting better lately so I think the Phillies will give him chances.

         If Walker doesn’t get traded, I could see him being on a very short leash and a candidate to be DFAd sooner rather than later.

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         1. to clarify, i was referring to a mid season late arrival for both. I a see Painter on an innings limit, but he was basically going to make the club this year out of ST, imo. Crawford I overshot on … protecting too much 🙂

            I do disagree on walker, we may night like his contract, but SP was such a scarcity this season that walker holds value imo. I think he is tradeable. I know others disagree, but say someone like the reds start making moves… they’d take walker with a pay down to 14 mil a year from 18.

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8. I’m wondering how the Phils project their rotation beyond this season. They have to be delighted that they have Christopher Sanchez locked in. Success is not guaranteed but Painter and Abel are on the horizon in what the Phils have to hope are rotation-wor How much thy cost-controlled slots.

   Walker is an albatross that will test Dombrowski’s mettle. His signing, particularly the length, was ill-advised and represents a self-inflicted wound. How much salary would the team have to eat to unload the burden of the 2 years remaining on his deal.

   Ranger Suarez is an interesting situation for a team with 4 rotation arms (including Walker) locked in and with 2 guys knocking on the door. Are the Phils content to offer him arbitration for ’25 and survey the landscape following next season? Alternatively, do the Phils offer a multiyear deal to a guy who has performed well but has not shown he can shoulder a load of more than 160 innings a season?

   Then there’s Nola, the workhorse who might be nothing better than the Phils’ 4th best starter currently? Fangraphs places him there. Keep Nola in the fold any you could have a situation where a #2 calibre starter like Sanchez is paid like a #5.

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   1. The Phillies have Nola, Sanchez, Wheeler locked in for 3+ years. So it comes down to the last 2 spots currently occupied by Suarez and Walker.

      The Phillies have some good depth for 2025: Phillips, Painter, Abel, Seth Johnson, Robinson Pina.

      First, I’m keeping Suarez in his final year of arbitration.

      Second, I would eat $20M of Walker’s 2/36 contract and trade him anywhere for a lotto ticket. Then I’m letting the young guys battle it out for the final spot in ST.

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      1. Not to be negative, but Suarez’ struggling a bit and dealing with injuries may end up helping the team. If he actually finished the year 23-3, hed be overpaid. Still not sure if i want him in the rotation long term. Love the dude, but there are always tough decisions you have to make when it comes to your guys. Not sure id want to give him the amount he can get elsewhere.

         And Yes x100000 to Walker. He shouldnt even be on the roster now. Eat the cost and move on; hes a net negative on the field regardless of what his salary is

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         1. I have mentioned previously that I don’t want to give Suarez a long term deal. Keep him for his final year and let him walk. The Phillies need to save money somewhere and we have internal pitching options who need opportunities.

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            1. I agree with this. I like Suarez but we can’t overpay four starting pitchers. Not saying wheeler or Nola were bad extensions, just we can’t keep going over market value and be able to build a balanced team. Now if Suarez wanted a 4 year 60 million extension for security, that would obviously be different.

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      2. Angels and Phillies have a coast-to-coast connection….heck offer them Walker and Casty straight up for Mike Trout…..the next two years is a contract wash….however those last fours years of Trout’s contract thru 2030 could be hard times for the Fightins’, but if he stays healthy, whoa.

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         1. trout has 6 years left at 37.1 million a year. I don’t think he’s going to have a 400 at bat or more season the rest of his career. It’s too many different issues on top of his apparent degenerative back issue which may be related to the lower body stuff. Angels also wouldn’t take Nick and Tijuan for him.

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            1. Yeah Morena does not have the baseball sense to take that type of a deal…after all, next season will start a string of 10 straight years of under a .500 team. If it were up to Perry Minasian he would do it….but looks like he will be the next ex-Angel GM and showed the door after this season.

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               1. I’m ready to throw in the towel on Alvarado, the team’s most expensive reliever. Getting rid of him is addition by subtraction.

                  I’d like them to ink Jurickson Profar in free agency this off-season. I’m ready to give him LF and help Brandon Marsh find a new home. As they transition at the catcher position over the next 2 years and expose Stott to competition as prospects develop, there is no one waiting in the wings for LF and I’ve grown convinced that Marsh is not the answer for a team that seeks to contend.

                  to me Alvarado and Marsh have punched their ticket to somewhere else.

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      3. I am a huge Suarez fan. I use this opportunity when he is down a little to sign him long term. He will be worth it. It’s not entirely a coincidence that the team struggled while he was injured.

         If they don’t sign him, I think they will regret. But I do think they will sign him and I, for one, will be thrilled.

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9. Jim, enjoy your beach trip. Dewey is one of my favorite places on earth. Im 37 now and been going since I was in college. Still try to go one week per summer to pretend im 22 again and party way too hard. Even if partying isnt your thing, beaches are great and the food around the area is awesome. Great live music too.

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10. Romus – A while ago I wrote to get Trout for Casty. You throwing in Walker is genius. I said to play Trout in RF for a year (until Schwarber ends his time in Philly) and then finish out his contract/career as the DH.

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    1. I like it…….Morena would be foolish not to do that trade if he is ever interested in bringing a winning team to LA. They are getting some good young players in place…OHoppe, Neto, Adell, Schanuel but with trout’s contract and Readon’s still there, getting quality starters may be out of reach for awhile.

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11. For a guy that couldn’t hit a lick for us, Merrifield is sure being a PIA against us.

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    1. Phillies seem to be the only team afraid to throw him strikes

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12. Top 3 in lineup have been worthless tonight. Maybe Stubbs should be pinch hitting for Harper.

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    1. It looks like teams are starting to follow the D’backs lead. Don’t throw strikes to the Phillies. And it works.

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13. What is RT doing? Leaving Alvarado out there when he obviously can’t throw strikes. Almost 30 pitches this inning.

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14. Romus. Not too good a start by Phillies. Braves did not seem to be too bothered by road trip. What disturbs me the most is another wasted solid effort by Wheeler. How many games is it this season he has pitched really well with nothing or a loss to show for it. Way too many. Like the last 18 batters retired. Not many wins in that formula. I agree on Alvarado. As if 3 walks are not enough go for the collar. Plus, his pitches were not really even close. If this team does not hit wins are at a premium.

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    1. Typical scene that has been played many times over. It isn’t the pitching that gets us, it’s the bats! The money bats at that, Casty had a hit, I believe otherwise they were silent. 13 K’s, 4 1/3 innings of nada. Not that it mattered, but allowing Alvarado one more batter …….. was that to be a confidence booster?

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15. I think we are witnessing the cost of that #1 1st half record. The BP looks to be showing the effects of being ridden hard to get there.

    Maybe its perception or the weight of the offense not scoring IDK.

    The lessons of operating like its “win now” are coming fast and it will be ugly if they don’t pivot quick.

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    1. dmar. My response to that is I believe, and I could be wrong but think it was mentioned many times that the Phillies starters were going deeper into games than any other group. If true, then the BP guys should have logged fewer innings than other bullpens.

       I really believe some guys may just not be what we thought they were. I have always had concerns on Kerkering. But he is young. He will be up and down, so I get that. Alvarado is what he is. Can be great and can be like last night. You just never know what you will get. I do not believe this is a bullpen that you can count on maybe 4 innings in a playoff game to preserve a win. Maybe not 1.

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16. dmar, I agree with you only to the extent that an erratic Phils’ offense pressures the pitching staff.

    It’s reported that no Philly reliever has pitched on 3 straight days this season while some teams have sent out relievers on 4 straight days. I don’t accept overwork as an excuse. Of course when Alvarado craps the bed and takes 30 pitches to get through part of an inning, then back-to-backs may go out the window. That’s an ‘Alvarado problem’, not an over-reliance problem.

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    1. Out of curiosity, why do you consider Profar the solution in left? He’s a 31 year old having his first truly good offensive season and he can’t field. His career wRC+ is 99 (Marsh is 102, for what it’s worth).

       You’re putting way too much stock into 1 (partial) season for both players.

       Probably also the case for Alvarado, to be fair. He’s not even a full year removed from being one of the best relievers in baseball. And while his year is by no means good, his underlying metrics are just about dead on for the average reliever this year. We certainly want more from him going forward, but if this is what his slumps look like we’re actually pretty lucky. Most relievers are so erratic that they go from good to terrible year-to-year. Alvarado goes from elite to slightly-below-average.

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       1. Dan, your defense of Alvarado I find to be one of the most unanticipated— perhaps extraordinary — things I’ve read here. When I was a kid, I watched Braves starter Joey Jay walk the bases full and then walk in a run. I’ve played and watched a lot of ball and it was a performance I never expected to be matched. In part,, because no manager would give a pitcher throwing without a clue so much rope to hang himself.

          I’m out of market so I get a color commentary different from what you might get. Former MLB pitcher C.J. Nitkowski comments on what is clear to see- Alvarado’s velocity is down, his movement is flat and his command is non-existent. Oh, and his HE’s allowed are up.

          All this while Topper struggles to find a role for his highest-paid reliever. It seems clear whether early or late, high leverage or not, that role isn’t there.

          Alvarado was lucky last night the game was in Atlanta because the home crowd reaction would have demoralized not just Alvarado but the entire team.

          I think. It’s easier to have a sensible back and forth on Profar vs. Marsh which I will take up separately. But I reject the idea that my views are based on a bad game, a bad week or a bad month.

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          1. Well I don’t know what your views are based on, but your own claims suggest that it isn’t entirely on objective fact.

             Alvarado struggling with command is true. That’s clearly evident; not just to people watching, but also those looking at season-total stats.

             However, the literal first claim you made about him, that his velocity is down, is verifiably false. His sinker was 97-99 last night. Same as it’s been all year. Same as it’s been his entire big league career. Just to get even more precise for you, I went back and checked each pitch. Lowest velocity on his sinker was 96.7, and the highest was 99.1. And those two were the only ones below 97 and above 99, respectively.

             His movement being flat also is just flat out wrong. Both his cutter and his sinker have more movement, both vertical AND horizontal, than they had last year.

             So is he having a bad year by his (Philadelphia) standards? Yes. Is it clear WHY? No. Part of it is clearly command, but it’s hard to say why that has suddenly disappeared. And it would be very short-sighted to dump him just because he’s having 1 below-average year after 1 great and 1 incredible season.

             This is the exact type of reaction people had about Hamels after 2009. And Hamels is the perfect example of why you take the long view on players, not 1 season’s worth of data.

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             1. Just saw this. It has nothing to do with Hamels or Steve Carlton either. Alvarado’s on personal leave and I hope when he’s back, he can self-correct. I want him to succeed.

                Truth is, they’ve got a $9 M + reliever with no known role he can reliably fulfill. He’s signed for next year at the same price so he’s not going anywhere.

                His HR’s allowed are way up. WHIP is up. He’s a 0.1 WAR this year following a 0.0 WAR last year. And this supports the eye test. It’s great if you think of him as a top flight reliever; better still if some other GM agrees with you.

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          2. Well let’s talk about what is, “clear to see”:

             1. Alvarado’s velocity is down; WRONG. He sat 97-98 with his sinker last name, same as he has all year and same as he has his entire career. He threw exactly 1 sinker below 97 and 1 above 99.
             2. His movement is flat; WRONG. Both his cutter and sinker have more movement, both vertically AND horizontally, than they did last year.
             3. His command is non-existent; PARTIALLY TRUE. His command is not nearly as good as it’s been since he came to Philly. But it’s also pretty much dead average for relievers this year. So it’s bad; but only in the context of what we’ve come to expect for Alvarado.
             4. HRs allowed are up; TRUE. This is just a fact. But it’s also a fact that pitchers have surprisingly little control over their homeruns allowed. You know who else has HRs up? Wheeler, Skubal, Miller, etc. Sometimes good pitchers give up more HRs. It can be because their stuff isn’t as sharp, or it could be that the ball just happens to be carrying more for whatever reason.

             Alvarado is having a disappointing season. But the cause of it is unclear. And wanting to get rid of a very talented player for a small sample size of under-performance is silly. Think about if we had traded away Hamels after 2009.

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          3. Website won’t let me go into detail in a response, so just this will have to do:

             Neither Alvarado’s velocity nor movement on his pitches are down. You can look up both of the things. His struggles are caused by something else. But either way, it’s silly to get rid of an extremely talented player for struggling in a small sample size.

             Think about what would have happened if we dumped Hamels after 2009.

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       2. Dan, the Phil’s have one of the worst hitting OF’s in baseball. Castellannos in my view is an anchor they’re chained to for the duration of his contract. In CF they have a decent succession plan whether Rojas cuts it or not. Rojas seems to be improving gradually.

          In LF, Marsh is regressing. There was a time that we could believe be at least could hit righties while he struggles against lefties. And we used to think he could hit the fast ball even if he struggled with pitches with movement. And we used to think he had a good eye for the strike zone. Well, he has none of these things and opposing teams see Marsh is getting himself out if they let him.

          The Phils’ budget-wise are constrained. Profar is a switch-hitting All Star on a $1 M expiring contract. The LF position screams for an upgrade.

          They bat Marsh 8th in the order for a reason. Tells you what you need to know about how he’s thought of. If the Phils’ had Profar and were batting him 8th in the order next year, it would only be because they’re getting strong seasons from Realmuto, Castellanos and Stort. I could live with that cause it’s an order with length.

          Sign Profar to a 3-year deal and you could play him in RF for a year after Castellanos. He’s a better athlete than Casty.

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          1. Everyone is a better athlete than Castellanos. That should not be the bar we set. In fact, that’s not setting a bar. It’s just leaving the bar on the floor and SAYING we set it.

             As for Marsh, have you considered that sometimes young players struggle? I honestly could not care less about what his position in the batting order says. You’re talking about the same coaching staff that had Whit Merrifield bat lead off for three consecutive games while he was batting .188 for the season.

             Profar was cheap this year because he’s an awful defender and was coming off an offensive season that is literally worse than anything Marsh has ever produced. You’re suffering from recency bias. It is absolutely not worth spending MORE money to bring in an older player who has is worse defensively and is streaky as anything offensively.

             Genuinely go look at his history of hitting. He had 4 callups that were all awful, and then after that he just alternated good and bad offensive years.

             Also, when he was Marsh’s age, he was hitting .218 with a wRC+.

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          2. His order in the lineup means nothing. This is the same coaching staff that had Merrifield hitting leadoff when he was hitting .188 for the season. They aren’t some infallible decision makers or undisputed evaluators of talent.

             As for Profar, he literally alternates between bad and good years offensively. Last year he hit worse than Marsh ever has. You’re free to look that up. It’s the reason he was so cheap this year. But he won’t be next year.

             It’d be silly to go out and spend even MORE money on a player who isn’t an upgrade. He gives away a lot of value on defense when he IS hitting, and him hitting is by no means a lock. Heck, when he was Marsh’s age, he was hitting .218.

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             1. Not to be snide but there aren’t injuries NL LFers could suffer that would give Marsh a sniff at being an All Star selection.

                There’s a certain kind of Phillies fan goggles I long ago stopped wearing. If you were to say — contracts aside— the Phil’swouldn’t swarm all over the chance to trade Marsh even up for an older Profar, I wouldn’t have the tools or the energy to respond. Fandom is a powerful force.

                I don’t believe in coming on here with just a critique — pointing out a problem without offering a prescription.

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                1. Well now I know for sure you don’t remember the early part of the season. Marsh was an All-Star candidate THIS YEAR. He deservedly didn’t make it, but he was hitting .270/.350/.426 with 7 HRs and 9 SB to go along with Gold Glove defense for the first 3 months of the season. Turns out players (especially young ones) can sometimes slump, though. It’s not something you get rid of them for.

                   And we’re not just going to ignore contracts here. Contracts are the only reason people like Castellanos get play time. We need guys like Marsh. They’re cheap and effective. And he has tremendous upside; as evidenced by the fact that he put up a 125 wRC+ LAST YEAR. Which is higher than Profar has ever produced until this year, by the way.

                   And, again, DEFENSE. If you put Profar and Castellanos in the same outfield, you are never again allowed to get upset with pitchers. Ever.

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                2. The point on contracts is that you wouldn’t have traded for Profar without a good chance of extending him. If you can get Profar in a 3 year @ $14 M you do it. If you want to sub for him late in games you do it. But you don’t have to platoon for him which is already a plus.

                   Would Marsh have a role as a part timer in CF? Maybe, but I’d hate for him to block Crawford if it came to that.

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                3. “We need guys like Marsh. They’re cheap and effective. And he has tremendous upside; as evidenced by the fact that he put up a 125 wRC+ LAST YEAR. Which is higher than Profar has ever produced until this year, by the way.”

                   Adam Hasely, Mickey Moniak, Jhailyn Ortiz, Odubel Herrera, Domonic Brown, Aaron Altherr, Simon Muzzioti. Marsh fits right into this group — not the worst and not the best. The Phils aren’t great at developing outfielders..

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17. DMAR….the 1st half starters , if I recall, went deeper into games than the majority of the other team’s starters….so the BP seem to have plenty of reat in April and May.

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    1. I knew you would know that Romus 🙂

       Hence I was careful to say “perception”

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    2. Romus. You are so smart. I replied to dmar before scrolling to the bottom. I should have known the encyclopedia had already responded. But I did agree with you. LOL

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       1. Don….not really…..had heard that from the baseball guys on MLB network–maybe Dan Plesac- and also the post-game guys in Philly awhile back when they were going good and winning series after series..

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18. This is just me. Having been a Cowboys fan forever the 70s, 80s, 90s were great. I have learned over the last 30 years to temper my expectations for them greatly.

    The last two seasons the Phillies almost climbed the mountain top. Came up a bit short in 22 and for me kind of laid an egg the last two games on NLCS. A WS champion cannot lose 2 games at home to be eliminated. Those last two games are two of the more I have ever witnessed. It just appeared to me from afar that they thought the Dbacks were going to lay down for them. It did not happen. Actually, the series probably never should have returned to Philly for games 6 and 7.

    So, I have begun to temper my expectations for this team greatly. They just to me appear to be an all or nothing team. All they are great. Nothing they are awful. Just my 2 cents since Romus beat me to the BP guys being tired.

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    1. They stunk heading into the 2022 playoffs, could barely buy a win. And they came up 2 games short of a WS. No reason to think it couldn’t happen again. But the stars have to step up their game when the lights get brighter. If they get to October healthy and with a bullpen resembling closer to the first half than the post Allstar break version, then they’re as good a bet as any team to win the WS.

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    2. P.1 ………… Don we understand, and it isn’t necessary for you to apologize to us for being a Cowboys fan ………. we get it, but if you want to fly away with us and be total Philly, we do have room for one more!

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       1. To be fair, I don’t imagine people are lining up to be Eagles fans after last year…

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          1. Probably not, but I think with all the newbies, it is going to be an interesting year.

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       2. You are so funny. I will stick with them. 30 years is not that long. LOL

          I am concerned as I watch that this Phillies team is a teaser like so many of the Cowboys teams have been. There is no doubt the Phillies can win the 11 or 13 games necessary for a title. They won 11 two years ago. But I can see them going 0-3 as well.

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          1. Matt Gelb had an article in the Athletic a few days ago about Phillies ownership (Middleton mostly) and told the story of Pat Gillick’s response when Middleton asked him what it takes to win the WS. His response was “luck”.

             You need to have a good team, need to be healthy, and need to be hot at the right time. Middleton didn’t like that answer but came to understand he was right. The 2008 team won the WS but the team was better the next several years but didn’t repeat.

             Yes, they can win the WS in 2024 and they can also go 0-3.

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             1. Yep…luck is a big part of it once you get into the play-offs…in 2008 Phillies were lucky they faced the Rays and not the Sox. The grind of the regular season is more of skill, talent than luck…luck in the regular season is more about being able to stay healthy.

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                1. Agree 100%. I would guess in several recent years the really best team did not win. Good fortune and luck are really big in this new playoff format. Plus getting hot and staying hot for a couple weeks. Couple clunkers and you are going home.

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19. Seeing that Seranthony gave up another walk off today vs Mets. He failed both the Phillies and O’s today.

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    1. Relievers are a very volatile bunch. I use to think it was from year to year…but anymore I am thinking it is from month to month.

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       1. Day to day maybe. Reason I think the teams that are fortunate to have THE guy who you can count on to get those last 3 outs is so important. I do not believe the Phillies have that guy at the moment. I have been disappointed in Estevez in what I have seen so far. Maybe it gets better.

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          1. Don….current Save leaders:

             1..Ryan HelsleySTL…..38…

             2..Emmanuel ClaseCLE….37…

             3..Kyle FinneganWSN……..31…

             4..Robert SuarezSDP………29…

             .

             5..Josh HaderHOU………27…

             6..Raisel IglesiasATL…….27…

             7..Clay HolmesNYY………26…

             8..Kenley JansenBOS…….24…

             9..Alexis DíazCIN……….24…

             10..Craig KimbrelBAL…..23

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          2. I think “the” guy only really exists for future Hall of Famers when it comes to relievers. Guys like Mariano and Kimbrel (in his prime, not now) are going to get the job done so often that you will only remember the times they don’t as oddities.

             The tier below that is the guys that ALMOST always get it done. But maybe fail to do so once a week or a couple times a month. And, believe it or not, we have a couple of those guys in Hoffman and Strahm. We vividly remember the times they don’t get it done because it happens just frequently enough that the last time is still fresh in our mind. But the truth is, there’s maybe only 3-5 relievers in baseball more reliable than they are. And those guys are potential HoF (if they can sustain it over multiple years).

             Baseball is just very hard, and relievers are as volatile as they come. Our perception of relievers may also be slightly warped by how dominant SP have become, too. It used to be most starters were workhorses that would pitch to contact and work out of jams to get through 7+ innings, then you’d have those lights out relievers come out throwing smoke to K the side. But now starters are throwing smoke and striking out 12 people per start, so the relievers don’t look as dominant in comparison.

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20. Never in doubt, had em all the way! Money bats, 1 – 6 a whopping 1 — 20. What a hitting team! Wow

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21. I think the Phillies have found their lockdown guy for the 9th inning. I am still surprised the Phillies gave up 2 top young pitchers for Estevez. He must pitch better in the Pacific time zone. But a win is a win, and it keeps Braves at bay for another day. Nice to see the Phillies win a game the old fashion way of manufacturing a run. Teams used to do that all the time and actually win games that way. I am old enough to remember those days.

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22. Not sure how Demartini got 3 ABs out of the 9 hole but he went 3-3. Caba went 2-5 and Saltiban went 1-1 with a BB. Tait DNP. Nori DNP.

    Miller went 2-4 with a BB. Anthony is el fuego 2-4 with RBIs and a BB. And Steward went 5 giving up 0 runs over 5 BBs and 7Ks.

    Crawford 1-3 with a BB Rincones Jr 1-4

    Not a Jimmy write up I know but those are most of the guys I keep an eye on.

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    1. DMAR…if it were not for the gambling accusations/investigations at Iowa, and his suspension from the team, Anthony would have been probably a 4th thru 7th round pick in the draft …I think DraftKings would have had it that way!

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       1. LOL thanks for great wit and the chuckle Romus

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23. I’ve been a big WW fan since ST last year. Thought to myself here is a guy if he ever gets a shot might be able to hold down a 24-25 or 26th spot on a roster.

    He goes to LHV and hits 31 HRS. He gets a call up and slashes in a SSS 313/500/1.000 OPS. Ks 5X BBs 6X.

    I think ok we can find a spot for this guy next season right? Nope we spend $8 million on Whit and then when he sux Jettison him. Mean while WW probably with a broken heart heads back to LHV and probably questions his existence in baseball. He starts really slow but eventually finds his mettle managing 18 HRs in 313 PAs with a 340 OBP. The average is way down and his Ks were up but all understandable IMO.

    Finally he gets back to where he should have been to start the season and is slashing 362/380/1.040 OPS.

    Hayes will come back and he’s ok but WW can probably do everything that he can do and yet this FO seems fit on mismanaging the roster.

    Not that they shouldn’t have traded Dominquez and Soto but they should have gotten something other than what they had right under their noses.

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    1. Now if Wilson could only catch!

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       1. Or play CF

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          1. ……. or maybe relieve Stubbs as garbage time relief pitcher, ……….. probably throws too hard, you need an 18 mph swerve to be really effective …… just a thought.

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       2. Can he play 2b? Stott is probably the weakest hitter in the line-up but seems to get a pass.

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          1. But he did hit the fly ball to right center that got the runner to 3rd. Without that the game would have gone to extras.

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             1. And Rojas had the big double that set-up the first 2 runs while Marsh had the fly ball to left that scored the winning run.

                Yet somehow, both of them need to be replace but not Stott?

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                1. You are correct, the bottom of the lineup did all the damage yesterday! Point taken……. big bucks guys laid eggs 2 days in a row ……. Harper hitting .216 in August if I read correctly. Not really advocating jettizoning anybody, but if the right deal would come along, all are in play.

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                2. No, Bryce Harper is not in play, nor should he be. He is struggling momentarily but was the player of the month in May and June and has been a holy terror at the plate almost his entire Phillies careers. He is a pillar of this team. He can carry the team by himself for weeks (sometimes months) at a time. He’s the guy people pay to come see. Trading him would be the height of foolishness.

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          2. He’s losing play time to Edmundo Sosa. I wouldn’t exactly call that getting a pass

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             1. Yep, he’s lost some time to Sosa but I don’t see the fan base clamoring for him to be removed/replaced like I see with Marsh, Rojas, or Castellanos.

                All 3 of those guys are hitting better right now.

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                1. The calls for Castellanos to be benched stopped when he started hitting.

                   The other three are already getting benched, so I dunno what else to tell you. Stott has fewer possible replacements than the OF do. We have more OF to plug-and-play, therefore they can get more days off than Stott whose only current replacement on the roster is Sosa. And Sosa is also our backup 3B and SS as well. So anytime Bohm, Trea, or Harper get a day off we need Stott in.

                   I guess you can argue that Wilson should be getting more time at 2B. But considering he can just play left whenever either of Rojas or Marsh gets the day off, he can literally be in the lineup every day as-is.

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                2. Just a quick check…Weston W. has played a little 2B over his 10 year pro career…145 games…so he is not a complete stranger there.

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       3. Or if he can become the lockdown closer. He is a multi-position player.

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    2. Agree 100%! For all the brilliance the FO is supposed to have ……… their conclusions on who has it and who doesn’t often time leave me cold …. and then they embark on a mission to find someone who fits their mold and doesn’t measure up!

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24. Maybe Estevez does great in the playoffs, and I hope he does but for me he is one of the most questionable acquisitions. I have not in any of the games I have watched seen him look like a closer. I guess he made it last night unscathed. For me he has some Neris in him. I may be wrong but do not remember a 1, 2, 3 inning yet.

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    1. He’s had 3 clean innings for us, thus far. But none have been in save situations. His first two appearances were actually the first two, but they were against the Yankees and we were losing when he came in. But they were both 1 run losses, so he at least effectively did his job and kept us in the game.

       The third game was actually his best one. Faced the 3 minimum and struck out 2 of them. But it was against the Fish when we were up by 4.

       In his save opportunities, he’s not had a clean appearance yet. Gave up 2 hits against the D’backs, gave up the hit and the walk against the Braves last night, and then of course blew the save against the Nats a few days ago.

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       1. I did see one of those first appearances. Guys made reference that he needed work that night. After the buildup he had received even from some of the national guys I was unimpressed. I thought I would see a wow guy and he was much less. I am not sure he is the guy I would have the utmost faith in at the end of one of the games that matters most. I think my most faith is in Strahm, and I know sometimes he gets hit. But he seems to be the most consistent night in and night out.

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    2. Don…LOL, as catch once posted on Neris as the closer……he is Hector ‘Scare-Us’ Neris.

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25. In defense of the front office – at the trade deadline there were, as I recall, only 2 closers available (Estevez & Tanner of Miami); one very strong 8th inning rp in Erceg. There were a few others, Florio and AJ Puk were also good but 7th inning guys. In trying to build up the back end their choice was the Angels or dealing with Miami – and who is to say that Miami would have traded Tanner or Puk within the division ? Even so – Tanner would have cost Miller or Crawford – and he is a free agent at the end of this year – so the Phillies can always sign him next year. Meanwhile, Puk has been ultra effective – but again, would Miami have traded him intra-division ? Erceg and Jason Adam (on San Diego from Tampa) are absolutely outstanding – but they also would have cost Miller, Caba, or Crawford.

    The cost of effective 9th inning pitchers was high because all know that’s what wins championships – or gets you there. Estevez was expensive, but he was proven – in his own way. Even as a free agent at the end of the year the cost is nowhere what Tanner’s cost would have been. He isn’t perfect – reminds me of Jose Mesa of the Phils – but that’s all they could get. In hindsight – we know now that Puk was probably the best buy. Erceg and Jason Adam are stellar but Phillies could have not kept the top minor leaguers. So call it a “plan” to fix it with a bandaid – but what choice did they have ??

    Meanwhile – looks like getting anything for Soto was a coup. This bullpen game is a very complicated and these pitchers are nothing if not mercurial ! I am not saying it is easy to watch these 9th inning rope walking events – only that there is absolutely no predicting relief pitching. As Phillies fans we should be accustomed to this – Mitchie – Poo ? Jose Mesa ? Neris ? Even the great Lidge had his moments ?

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    1. I like Puk and Erceg. I think they could have helped Phillies were not going to give up what Padres did for Scott. What did it take to get those other two pitchers.

       It is not doubt finding that guy to close games is difficult. Mason Miller was best, but he was not going to be dealt.

       What would be nice is Phillies play like they did against Braves last season for three series. But those are hard to do for any team. Somewhere along the line with so many games some luck and good fortune come into play.

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       1. Don……Phillies could have easily obtained Mason Miller in July 2023 for song, even for a Orion K……my point, every year there could be the next Mason Miller right under their noses, within their own organization. And every year a Orion K comes up and does well, guarantees no such success their next season.

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          1. Romus. Was the title of the song “Woe is Me”? LOL

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    2. At the time of the Puk trade I mentioned that I definitely would have matched what it took to get him. And I even thought that maybe the market was less seller-friendly than initially anticipated because of how little it was.

       Unfortunately, Arizona just struck at the right time and/or Miami REALLY wanted the guys they got back. I think that’s the best reliever deal of the deadline by a lot (in favor of the team acquiring a reliever).

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       1. I have always liked Puk. I liked him in college at Florida.

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26. Romus. I was just thinking about final score last night. If you remember the Braves lost like 27 or 28 games in a row at start of season if opponent scored 3 or more runs. They ended at Arizona in a 6-5 game or so. This was a while back now. I always think back to that number 3 when I see a game they lose. I wonder what their record is now in those games. Phillies put another L on the column last night.

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27. Romus. I just looked at standings. I think you and I are going to split on our 6 playoff teams. Looks like K.C. for me and Houston for you are going to be in the field at least today. Both have a 4-game lead. In NL Braves are still given best odds over Mets and Giants though both are right there. Braves have 67, Mets 66 and Giants 65 wins. Giants’ kind of blew it when they lost those first two extra-inning games to Braves last week. Snell and Sale were both awesome in game 1. It ended 1-0 in 10 innings. K.C. is 4 up on Boston. I think they will hold that.

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28. Catch . ……… Ohtani & Hernandez for Harper, straight up.

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    1. Okay, c’mon. Not happening. Like ever.

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       1. Agree, ……… but you have to keep an open mind and never say never, there are no sacred cows ……… see what I mean?

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    2. oldruff. What is on tap today? LOL Most likely and I forget who but most probably have No Trade clauses. Bet Harper and Turner do. No idea on anyone else. Maybe Nola and Wheeler as well. Most of the rest are now short term.

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29. Erceg cost 3 prospects – who turned into Oakland’s # 6, # 16, and # 27.

    Puk cost #5 and #19 from Arizona. Puk was the under valued pitcher because Miami had used him as a starter and he was shelled. As a reliever he was very good, before they used him as a starter and particularly in the small amount of time Miami used him there again before he was traded. I have to think Miami didn’t want to trade him intra division – and to AZ’s credit they pounced early.

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30. There was a lot of buzz on this site whether to draft Moniak or Riley Pint or Puk way back when. Puk wanted full slot money for being the #1 pick so the Phillies drafted Moniak on the cheap to save $ for their #2 pick.

    There’s a big difference being the closer for a team like the Angels who are always out of it and being the closer for the Phillies. Who was the guy a couple of years back who they got from Texas who didn’t do well in Philly?

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31. To my surprise…Angels have extended GM Perry Minasian and Jerry Dipoto fires Mariners’ long time manager Scott Servais….go figure.

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32. Going to answer my own question as I have looked it up. It was Ian Kennedy who the Phillies traded for along with Kyle Gibson for Spencer Howard.

    And I was hot on Puk but it has taken him years to turn into a good major league pitcher so there was never a guarantee with drafting him.

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    1. That is true on the time. But I really liked his demeanor on the mound in Florida. But one never knows. So did the Phillies then take the kid pitcher in 2nd round who never seemed to stay healthy. I forget who they got but I think I remember he is getting lots of discussion.

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    2. puk stinks

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33. Well, Wilson can’t play 3b.

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34. Don’t look now but Aiden Miller looks to be adjusting to A+. Also, Keaton Anthony needs a new challenge. Wow, the young has raked all year.

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35. When Sanchez is off he’s a batting practice pitcher. 9 base runners through 3+

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    1. Not really fair to put that on him. The Braves had 3 infield hits in 2 innings. Their expected batting average before the homer was something like .138. Getting 7 hits off of balls hit below 80 MPH is crazy.

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       1. I was sort of exaggerating

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          1. Yeah, I just wanna make sure people don’t go overboard blaming him. He pitched really well (outside of the homer) and and Braves just managed to luck into a bunch of bloop hits.

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             1. He’s not even on my list of players that have frustrated me since London.

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       2. He does allow a good amount of base runners as his whip (1.27) shows but he is a real competitor and seems to stick around longer than expected in these types of games.

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          1. I don’t mind the high WHIP he’s a ground ball guy even if he’s on he might give up some seeing eye singles.

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36. These were all good games. Not going to win many scoring 6 runs in 3 games. I felt Phillies pitching was fine. 3 hits are not going to cut it.

    Top of the 9th. That is what a closer is supposed to do. Shut the door and he did. They just let the Braves hang around.

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37. Money bats 2 — 15. Team with 14 K’s. Pitching should have had a win IMO. I think you have seen what a Braves/Philly series will be like …. tight!

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    1. Which is crazy. No Acura, Albies, or Riley in their line up. No Strider & they’ve missed Sale….and it’s gonna be tight.

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38. KC is no joke so the way we are playing I could see us getting steamed rolled out there also…

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    1. KC is very good. I told Romus they are my pick for the 6th playoff spot. Might move to 5th.

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       1. Don…check out the stats of KC and the other teams….Phillies and KC have virtually the same BA—256….257.

          https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2024.shtml

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          1. Romus. I see that. Bobby Witt is going to be a big-time star. Quick question. How do you post the link? I have tried the copy and paste and had it not work a few times. I am always afraid I will do something that messes up stuff.

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             1. Don……not sure what to tell you….did what you did. The issues I have had is one I tried to post 3 or more….never shows up, goes into a blackhole of sorts. So I just stick to posting only one link. Word Press made some changes awhile back and I had to adjust after a lot of trial and error..

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39. Didn’t Kingery play outfield for a period of time for the Phillies or am I imagining things?. They could use his bat right now. The outfield and 2b protection offensively is horrible, even outside of our stats not hitting.

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    1. I believe 30 games in 2019 at all 3 outfield positions. The year they tried to make him Mr. EVERYTHING. I don’t know if there were other years. 🤔

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40. I don’t see why Taijuan Walker doesn’t have to pay his way into the park like the rest of us.

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    1. He doesn’t have to pay-in because he’s so good at paying-out ………… look at all the baseballs the fans are getting!

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41. I hope Suarez’ return from IR goes a LOT better!

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42. Romus. How many more games does Walker have to start this season. Not likely many wins. There is no way he is back. Phillies may have to eat the entire contract plus some prospects.

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    1. How many more games ……… are you worried he might not meet his incentive clauses? 😅🤣😂

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       1. oldruff. I know I am really old. But I used to be able to hit really well. I am not so sure I could not hit the pitches Walker serves up on a platter almost every pitch unless it is in the dirt. I do think he misses the incentives. The Phillies simply cannot run him out again. He is getting worse instead of better each outing.

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          1. Ricky Bo ……. just said 78 pitches in 3 innings?

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    2. Taijuan Walker is at the point where he probably needs to be removed from the rotation. And once that happens, his value drops precipitously. So I would rather DFA him right now and move on with somebody else.

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       1. DFA Walker after the game and call up Seth Johnson who just so happened to have pitched tonight for Lehigh.

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43. You know, maybe Walker’s issue is a simple one of linguistics. Perhaps he heard that really good pitchers acted as stoppers for their teams to snap losing streaks.

    So when the Phils signed him to be a starter, he logically assumed they wanted him to do the opposite.

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    1. It’s not fair how many Cy Young caliber pitchersthe Phil’s have to face these days. Like every night.

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44. John Middleton’s Money

       (sung to the tune of “What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?”)

    John Middleton’s money is long and green,

    It spends all over the land,

    He spreads it around like fertilizer,

    As if there was a master plan

    Now some say the Phillies are not winners,

    I’m not sure what to say,

    There are more than a few who garnered their loot,

    They are winners on every pay day

    Now this was a team with 8 All Stars,

    It’s clear they were chosen for a reason,

    But news was slow in getting out,

    It’s more than a 90-game season

    The Phils haven’t signed a home grown Hall of Famer,

    In more than 53 years,

    So they compensate for their incompetence,

    By paying princely sums for past performance,

    Blowing smoke up fans’ rears

    You get the unmistakable impression,

    That this team’s great victories are in the past,

    And they rest on their laurels and reputations,

    While opposing hungry teams leave them complacent and gassed

    The word is getting out on this team,

    If you come at them early with all your might,

    The Phils will grip the bat or the ball too tight,

    And be the second-best team on the field that night

    It’s a lineup that refuses tov learn or adjust,

    As the whiffs accumulate and build   to a stench,

    Guys are practiced at slamming bats and glaring at the ump,

    As they make their way back to the bench

    But there’s a deeper knowledge the veterans have,

    While the manager mumbles and the team itself stumbles while long-suffering fans throw shade,

    This veteran team achieved a dream,

    When they came to Philly to get paid

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45. Looking at the remaining schedule and the numbers of games left against winning teams, I am changing my projections. We go 14-20 , finish with 88 wins and a wildcard spot.

    Turned off last night when we couldn’t score 1st & 3rd, no one out and Swarbs coming up. Luckily I wasn’t there for the Walker meltdown.

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46. Obviously, this team is paying like crap at the moment. No new news there. If the Braves go roaring past them to claim the division, that would be the second biggest choke job since 1964. Should a few other teams catch them and pass them to leave the Phillies even out of a wild card slot, that WOULD be the biggest choke job ever. Hope I’m way wrong on this one but the way they are playing it is possible.

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    1. The silver lining…forces DD to make changes prior to 2025….similar to another Philly team across the street, after their late season meltdown.

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       1. Romus. Will Jerry World do the same with the Cowboys after another meltdown this season? They should have never extended Prescott the first time. Now they may do it again.

          I do not know if there is a silver lining. Who are they going to get rid of for 25? I just do not see much on that front. Walker definite. Stubbs. Who else? Watching this team makes me think that 23 was their year for a title and they let it slip away. I will be shocked if this team makes any noise in the playoffs. Number 2 or 3 or 6 look like the likely position. Dodgers are starting to distance themselves now.

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    2. ciada. I think it is very possible for the Braves to beat out the Phillies. This is not your week or ten-day slump. Something more is wrong. I mentioned earlier that I was really concerned that the Phillies lost 18-3 to that powerhouse Oakland A’s to end the first half. They have for the most part played awful since then. They tease us with the occasional one game recovery or so but quickly drop back in the basement. For the most part this is really a team effort. You have to discount Wheeler. He has been great. Nola has pitched well enough to have 4 or 5 more wins than he does. But the hitters are in a big snooze. I guess the Mets or Giants might catch them for 6th in Braves fly by, but most likely 6th is as low as they go. I remember 1964. That was when I first started following the Phillies. That was epic. This is really hard to watch over and over again. I saw one headline that said the Phillies 1, 2, and 3 hitters went 2-33 against the Braves. Unbelievable the Phillies won one game. But it was the bottom of the order and the pinch hitters that won that one.

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47. I am in Kansas City for some baseball, and the town is FULL of Phillies fans. At the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 90% Phils fans. I decided to skip Taijan Walker and saw the Kansas City Monarchs beat Winnepeg Goldeyes 4-2. For KC ex-Phil $4 million bonus boy Jhaily Ortiz went a very weak 0-4. Ex Phil farmhand Herbert Iser a bloop single 1-3. Ex Phil farmhand Julian Garcia DNP. Phillies will have my attention the next 2 days.

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    1. Martin. Hopefully you picked the good one to miss. But I would not count on it being the worst. We can hope they do not get swept but they never score for Wheeler so that puts one in jeopardy.

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    2. Wow…Jhailyn Ortiz still plugging away at it. He must be determined.

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    3. Do they have Runza’s @ the ballpark? Might not have drifted down from Big Red Country yet.

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       1. I did not see Runza’s…..did do a good Bar BQ sandwich @ the ball park

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48. romus. KC is now only 1 game behind Cleveland and only 4 behind Yanks for top spot. Plus, they get the Phillies 2 more games this weekend. Look out.

    LA up 3 now. Phillies and Brewers tied. Phillies dropping all the way to 6th is a real possibility. Who would have thought that 6 weeks ago?

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    1. Yeah Don …things can change so fast…..and could also change for the better that fast..

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49. Dont read this section much, usually just the minor league info

    Would you look into signing Trevor Bauer ???

    He said he would play for the minimum

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    1. Think we discussed that already, I believe because he is such a polarizing personality the majority opinion was no, we wouldn’t.

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    2. Question remains…….why haven’t the Yankees signed him, or the Os, Astros or Sox in the AL…in the NL, why not the Giants, Cards, AJ Preller’s Padres or even the Braves etal…..because he may be on a blacklist or shunned by MLB. IMO, if he does not get signed this season, he may try to prove collusion against him by MLB…but will the MLBPA back him up if he does try to sue MLB! Perhaps in the words of the former Capt Kirk, William Shatner, it just may be be unexplained.

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       1. Nobody wants to deal with the fallout of signing Trevor Bauer. That ship has long sailed.

          It’s similar in the NFL when nobody wanted to sign Ray Rice.

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          1. Bauer posted he’ll be back next year. Basically he was told this … alluding to it, that he was told this by the mlb. Will see.

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       2. Think if Branch Rickey followed the herd. Jackie Robinson is a hero; Trevor Bauer will never be. But pro sports in the U.S. have never been limited to choir boys. Ro me, if you disqualify a player for a reason, you do so transparently. Once a suspension is served, to retain a blacklisted player under a cloud puts the sport under a cloud. (NFL with Kaepernick).

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          1. Really. Don’t compare situation with Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball with Trevor Bauer.

             Bauer isn’t some martyr being unfairly targeted. He’s not riding in to save the season.

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50. Romus. I liked Puk really well when he was at Florida. But I liked Brady Singer better. So, who did the Phillies take instead of Singer. I am almost sure they had him available when they picked. Thanks.

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    1. Phils picked two while he was still on the board.

       Cornelius Randolph and Scotty Jetpax.

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       1. I think it was Mickey Moniak at 1.1…Puk was drafted in 2016 by the A’s.

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          1. I think you are correct. Puk was being considered. Believe it was 6 to the A’s. I only saw both in college during CWS. I liked both. I liked the tenacity that Singer pitched with. I believe he may have had some health issues that caused concerns. But both are a long time ago. I did not realize that Singer dropped that far down.

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       2. 2018 draft….Singer was drafted at 18 and Phillies took Bohm at three.

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          1. Oh, I was going off of 2015 when he was FIRST drafted (but didn’t sign). So I guess technically we chose 3 guys ahead of him.

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    2. Puk was who I liked

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51. Nice return of Ranger tonight. Big if he can take back his spot every 5th day and give them the results he did. They can work around that 5th starter spot if the other 4 starters are there.

    Also much better at bats the last 2 games

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    1. and in addition to your point, 3up, Turnbull should be back by the next time Walker’s spot in the rotation arrives. Thanks to Phillips really they did pretty well with both Suarez and Turnbull out – not necessarily in w/l but definitely in not destroying their BP with overwork. I think Topper deserves some credit….

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       1. Turnbull is a long way from being back and the team has already stated he’s going to the bullpen when he returns.

          He hasn’t started throwing yet after a set-back a week or so ago.

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52. I would have signed Bauer around the time the Phils were casting about for Koby Allard and the like. But the window is closing this year and,if Bauer is reinstated next year, hopefully the Phils have younger alternatives. It’s not a young rotation that they’re working with and they need arms that can provide pitching length on regular rest.

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53. Did Aiden Miller get hurt last night?

    He left the game after one at bat.

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54. Moises chace goes 5 inn, 10 Ks, 4 BB, 2 ER

    trade is looking good so far

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55. Dragoo and Demartini really making there presence felt early , and Nori goes 2-5 and walks it off in 10th

    of course Crawford goes 3-4 with SB

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56. Any word on Aiden Miller?

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    1. Hopefully everything is alright….he has been en fuego in August….…he is 25-71 (.352) over the last three weeks.

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    2. He is in the lineup today at DH, so maybe yesterday was just precautionary, not sure

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       1. went 1-4 and stole a base so must have not been anything too serious.

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57. I vehemently disagree with having Allard start today. After last night’s game we really need to keep the foot on the gas, and Wheeler was the perfect guy to put an exclamation point on the series.

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    1. Starting Allard is really a questionable decision on the part of the manager…..is he seeing the Braves losing to the Nats late in their game now and decided to go with Allard! Surely that cannot be the reason.

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       1. Brilliant decision to use Allard today. He threw well and bats continue to look good. No reason to panic with 30+ games left to play and still a 5 game lead.

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58. In his first two starts in AA as a 21yo, Moisés Chace has a 14.9K/9 rate.

    https://x.com/PhilsPlayerDev/status/1827746801501233539

    In 3 starts for the Angels, 22yo George Klassen has a 6.75 K/9 rate and a 8.44 walk rate.

    Small sample size I know, but Chace is a legit prospect and Klassen has a lot of risk. If you look at Chace’s K rates across his career, they are better than Klassen, while at a younger age.

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    1. His quick scouting report after last season. . Moises Chace – RHP (A): The 6-1 right-hander started to put things together a bit late in the summer before getting shut down for an injury. The 20-year old’s fastball sits 92-93 and touches 94-95. His best pitch is a solid average change up that works really well against lefties who slashed just .182/.310/.347/.657 off him. Throws a slider and curveball though both pitches are very inconsistent and have to improve. Command overall is still a big problem as his fastball tends to run up and away too often.

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    2. He is a stocky at 6’1″…..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsKzBYclcY0

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    3. It’s not an either/or. They could have both. I would gladly take my chances with a Chace for Klassen trade. Bet the Angels wouldn’t do it.

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       1. Imo Estevez is our best bullpen arm. If you are serious about winning a championship you make that trade 10 times out of 10.

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          1. Not sure I agree that Estevez is their best bullpen arm but I do agree that they needed to make a trade to add another back-end arm to the pen if they want to win a WS.

             Estevez was probably the best option available based on prospect cost.

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             1. I see the Estevez trade a little differently than I did when it was made. Mick Abel’s re-emergence makes me value Klassen slightly less. Losing Klassen and Aldegheri didn’t leave the cupboard as bare as I had thought.

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59. Good to see two solid games. Now to see if they can build on it. Romus. Appears to me just watching last couple of games the Royals Achilles heel may be their bullpen. That is why I am going to reserve if bats are back entirely. They did not look very good. They have a lot of wins for a team that lost 106 games a year ago. Most definitely a team on the rise. Phillies need to go home and build on these 2 games and take care of Stros at home.

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    1. Nice to see all the production that we got out of the catching position the past 2 games. 7– 9 with 8 RBIs. Bookmakers anguish there with Stubby taking those big cuts to come up with the cycle!😅🤣😂

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    2. Royals had 56 wins last year…this year they have 72 so far……when it is all finished they could have one of the largest turn arounds in MLB history. I remember the Cubs went from 73 wins in 2014 to 97 wins in 2015. And I thought that was a large turnaround.

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       1. Hard to do ……….. going from the toilet seat to the throne in a year.

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60. Today 11-3, yesterday 11-2….feels good to be a Phils fan in KC. STUBBS!!!!!

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61. I was looking at the Statcast sprint speed data. For 2024, Rojas is the fourth fastest player in the majors (Top 5: Bobby Witt – Victor Scott – Elly De La Cruz – Rojas – Pete Crow-Armstrong). All he has to do is hit >.250 . . .

    Also, lol Mets for trading PCA for two months of Javy Baez in a year in which they didn’t make the playoffs!

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62. https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/seth-johnson-moises-chace-phillies-prospects-20240825.html

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    1. This was an absolutely incredible trade, even if it doesn’t work out entirely. The Phillies dumped a player they didn’t want anymore, saved salary and picked up two, no risk, high reward starting pitching prospects. I’m not sure you’d trade these guys straight up for Klassen and Aldegheri, but, in the long run, Johnson and Chace could end up producing more value. These are the moments that DD shines. Klentak never would have pulled off a move like this.

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       1. This is true. Love trades like this. The opposite of trading prospects for rentals. But lets not forget that the trade to acquire Soto was awful. Vierling is a quality major league player. At the worst a high quality 4th outfielder with position versatility. At a minimum he could have platooned with Marsh the last two years. All trades don’t work out and that one didn’t.

          Don’t get too excited yet. A year from now Chace may be the guy traded for a rental.

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          1. Sigh…Vierling would have been a nice piece on this team.

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             1. Romus. I agree. I always thought Matt was a nice player. Plus position flexibility. Saw last night Tigers have won 10 of last 13. Probably too late but like KC making strides to get better. Did you know Vierling is a ND guy? Kidding I know you know. Suppose to be really really HOT here this week.

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                1. Don….Vierling was Missouri Gatorade Plyer of the Year his senior year in HS…Phillies scouted him well out of ND…another 5th round gem.

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          2. I look at this trade as Vierling for Chace, Johnson, and Kody Clemens. I would do that all day long. The other two Phils players traded to Tigers are in the minors or retired. Clemens is a better player than he appears because he has some pop.

             This is not to say that Vierling is not a serviceable player – he is, but I don’t think he is much different than Hayes albeit, his versatility.

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       2. I’ll reserve judgement until he works a miracle on dumping Walker ……… if you can get something out of that mess ….. we’ll, that’s a mission!

          DD has done some good things, but he’s laid some “stinkers” as well.

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63. After a .500 road trip the Phillies have 32 games left. 16-16 gets them to 92 wins.

    Atlanta would need to go 22-10 to get to 92 wins
    Mets need 24-7.

    Team the Phillies are really competing with is the Brewers who need 17-15 to get to 92. Goal is to take the #2 spot in the NL to get that 1st round bye.

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    1. I agree. Saw last night that Dodgers, Brewers and Phillies are all 99. + to be in playoffs. Most likely things could come down to the final weekend. Any of these top teams now must avoid a prolonged losing streak. Phillies included. Phillies were said recently around 40 games to have one of the easier schedules. But those spoiler teams can be a real pain. I would be surprised if Phillies are able to catch Dodgers. Believe if they win one game vs Brewers, they will hold tie breaker against both Dodgers and Brewers. It is almost September. Scoreboard watching time.

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       1. They might catch the Dodgers with the starting pitching issues but between them, Arizona and SD one of those 3 teams is going to get hot down the stretch and probably have the best overall record.

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          1. Of those 3 Arizona may close the best. Seems like they never lose. They’re at 6 wins now, I think. Some still really like the Padr3es chances in division and playoffs. No idea on any of the schedules.

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64. Tait at it again, 2-5 with another BLAST

    https://x.com/Mitch_Rupert/status/1827790102518767629?t=V1_6QTkiZ5QGyai_lGaVAQ&s=19

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    1. Three things on Tait.

       First, how the hell is a 17 year-old doing this in full season A ball? Amazing.

       Second, this is a true power hitter’s swing with an extremely quick bat. It’s a Jose Ramirez swing. The potential is exceptional.

       Third, he is going to have to seriously watch his weight. He’s 17 and he’s already kind of heavy and it’s the type of heavy that looks like it could get out of control in a hurry. They need to be on top of that now or I’m telling you, it could turn into a very big problem. I know he’s 17, but players that are really heavy (I’m not talking about being a bit chubby – he’s that right now) don’t have long careers and it makes catching burdensome.

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       1. His thighs and butt are huge. Watch him rounding third. He is just naturally large. Would like to see what his parents look like. What can be done about it? I don’t know. But his lower body is immense.

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          1. He is thick.

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       2. Agree he needs to be cautious of his weight but Phillies just played a team with a catcher build somewhat like Tait. If he can have a career like Sal Perez that would be best case..

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          1. I’m not worried about him being big and strong – I’m worried about him getting really fat.

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             1. catch – think he should be fine… he looks more Todd Pratt fat to me than … Cecil Fielder fat. No offense to horizontally challenged posting here.. Ive grown a bit … past Tait myself. Trying to fight it off now.. but treading water at best. I got a new plan, so it should work… just not going to be real thrilled while it’s on Going.

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             2. Yeah, I see a 17 year-old kid that has probably gained 30-40 pounds in a year, and it’s nowhere close to being all muscle. We’ll see what he looks like in ST. Todd Pratt was not fat – people are just referring to big strong guys maybe with a little pudge – this is not what I’m talking about. We’ll see.

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                1. Agree, Catch ……. now is the time to get the handle on it.

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                2. A lot of the Latin catchers –young and old–of late, seem to be of the substantially hefty sized. With that comes slow afoot in most cases. Now catchers like JTR or Stubbs are the exception anymore.

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       3. Mr Tait is far from heavy. He’s got a very thick build but I can tell you from watching him all summer in person that he’s in very good shape. It’s not an issue.

          Steve Potter

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       4. Eduardo has a very thick frame. I can tell you from watching him in person all summer that he is in very good shape. It is not an issue. He’s also an extremely hard worker and very coach-able.

          Steve Potter

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65. Eiberson Castellano past 6 starts at Reading since being promoted

    33 IP, 43 Ks, 8 BBs, 8 ER…. 2.18 ERA

    last 2 starts alone 12 innings, 21Ks, 2 BB, 3 R

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    1. Fastball sits at 97mph. A 23yo in AA: 11.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 49% GB rate.

       Pretty impressive prospect

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       1. Something clicked for him. Last year at CLW he was very pedestrian , maybe a tick below average with an ERA of 5 and a BB/9 of 5. Would be interesting to hear what changes he made over the off-season.

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       2. Phillies may have to put him on their 40 come November since he may get taken in the Rule 5….risky situation. IMO, he will pass thru unscathed and not taken if left off the 40…but if he keeps putting up these metrics at Reading over the next few weeks he can become very attractive to a team like the WSox or As. For a guy who will be 24 years old, with 4 years in the system, he does not have many innings under belt—231. So that may be a detractor to other teams.

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          1. I think that the Phillies FO thinks that they have figured out how to produce high upside pitching prospects. I think that we, on this blog, value individual pitching prospects more than they do because I think that they think that they can crank out more arms. A year ago, Klassen and Aldegheri were nobodies. after one offseason in the Phillies pitching lab, they got us one of the top closers in baseball. I think that the Phillies believe that they can do that over and over.

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             1. Looks like they have found success in that endeavor. Listening to Justin Verlander the other day…..the technology is well beyond what he could ever imagine when they zone in and spotlight a pitcher in a team’s system and begin his development.

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66. Romus. Last week I asked about prices at CBP. So, my wife just sent me a list of the price for a hot dog at all MLB stadiums. Here is the quiz. Who has the lowest prices? 2 are less than $3. Who is the most expensive? 4 have prices at least $8. The highest is a little under 9. It is a shocker to me. BTW I believe it was dmar or DanK who said the price at Philly is around $5. They show it at $4.99. You guys were spot on. Nice job.

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    1. Guessing:

       Less than $3… Oakland and Seatle

       Highest….both NY teams, Red Sox and Texas Rangers

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    2. Yeah, I have the benefit of being able to see the prices in person for CBP. I go just often enough that I can always remember how much of a rip off the food/beer costs have become.

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67. Also, what is the deal with Dan Jansen playing for both the Blue Jays and Red Sox in the same game? They have been talking about this for a few days. So how did this come about? Two teams going nowhere now.

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    1. The how is pretty straightforward. He started the year on the Jays and started that game for them, but then rain happened and it went into a delay. The delay was lasting too long, so they postponed the rest of the game until later in the year. The Jays then ended up trading Jansen to the Sox before the game resumed. So once the game resumed, he was now on the opposing team. From there, it was just a matter of the Sox putting him in the game, et voila.

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    2. He was in the suspended game when he was a Jay vs Sox…then he got traded….game resumed today…so has to play for both teams.

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       1. I guess if he’s a true professional, “he’ll feel strongly both ways”, huh😉

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68. Romus. Lowest is Blue Jays $2.55. Also, Dbacks under $3. The highest is Oakland at $8.79. I could not believe that. Angels, Pads and Dodgers are all $8. Red Sox and Yankees are $6.25 and $6.29. Mets $7.15 and Rangers are $6.79 No wonder why no one goes to A’s games. Only kidding.

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69. Alvarado put on the restricted list for personal matters.

    weston wilson put on the paternity list.

    kolby allard optioned.

    Mercado, Lazar and Buddy kennedy called up

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70. Dan and Romus. Thanks for my dumb question. I had never read anything. Just saw headlines and then it happened today. I was thinking trade deadline but spaced a suspended game. I think maybe guys have got traded between doubleheader games back in the day. I could be wrong on that.

    I was amazed at the price for a hot dog at Oakland.

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    1. Players have, in fact, been traded between teams in the middle of a doubleheader before. The Cards and Cubs swapped OFers between games in a double header back in the 20s.

       As for the A’s, their owner is a literal movie villain. Genuinely, the similarities between him and the villainous owner in “Major League” are uncanny. Unfortunately this is real life, though, so instead of being met with karmic justice, he’s just allowed to be a terrible person. It’s a shame his parents hadn’t taught him the basics of supply and demand instead of just giving him enough money to cruise through life. He’d actually be able to siphon more money from the city of Oakland before running away if he weren’t so blatant about his intentions.

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71. I am once again in awe at how much impact a bad umpire has on the game. Misses two strikes on the same batter for Wheeler to give him a walk instead of strike 4, and then that ends up leading to two runs for the Stros.

    But he’s not having any issues calling those pitches on the black against us. Remarkable.

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    1. Oh, and then calls a pitch 2 inches high against Marsh with 2 outs and men in scoring position. I look forward to this umpire scorecard tomorrow.

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72. getting to watch this game… umps taking a few days of my life with the strike calling outside the zone, and… im thinking I would’ve sent Casty

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73. Looks to me that the Astros BP guys are a little more formidable that the Royals guys.

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    1. How did the league allow the Astros to sign Hader… my lord… i do NOT want to see that in the playoffs

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74. Hey, you guys wanna know something funny?

    Since Hays’ first game with the Phillies, he’s hitting .261/.277/.391.

    In that same time frame, Marsh is hitting .462/.533/.692… against lefties.

    Small sample size, for sure, and I still don’t mind the trade. But this is just to say there’s no reason to pinch hit for Marsh outside of injury. And to draw attention to his numbers for the people saying he should earn more playing time if he doesn’t want to be a platoon player.

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75. I’m sorry, Hays is not a good baseball player. If DD has been coveting him for two years then I’m not sure about anything anymore.

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76. huge hit for Harper leading to a huge win tonight against the Astros

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77. Closing this discussion, new one located here:

    Phillies Discussion, 8/26/24 | Phuture Phillies

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